William iianlon and george hanlon



ANIA PHOTO-M7110. CD. N.Y. (OSBORNE'S PROCESS) l UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

\VILLIAM. IIANLON AND GEORGE I'IANLON, OF NEWT YORK, N. Y.

PORTABLE GYMNASIUM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,583, dated October 29, 1861.

T0 all who/1t t may concern:

Be it known that we, VILLIAM HANLON and GEORGE HANLON, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Portable Apparatus for Gymnastics, which we denominate the Home and Parlor Gymnasium, and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- .Figures 1 and 2 are opposite side elevations of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section o? the saine. Fig. 4 is a horizontal 4section of the pulling device. Fig. 5 isa perspective view of one of the horizonta handles. f

Similar letters of reference Vindicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

The principal object of our invention is to combine within a small space-that is to say, within the limts of a room of moderate height and small horizontal area-al1 the Xed apparatus commonly employed in gymnastic exi ercises and make` such parts thereof as may be desirable conveniently adjustable or variable for persons of different size and strength, and to make the whole portable; and to this end our invention consists in certain novel constructions and arrangements of certain parts of the apparatus, and in a certain novel arrangement of the several parts in combination with each other.

To enable others to make and use our apparatus, we will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

A is a base supporting the several parts of the apparatus consisting of ahorizontal frame of the form of aparallelogram intended when the apparatus is in use to rest upon the oor of the apartment whereitis used. This frame is constructed with hinges a d at its ends to enable it to be folded, as hereinafter described, when the apparatus is not in use or is required to be moved, but is furnished at each end with a sliding bolt 7c to keep the hinge-joints rigid when the apparatus is in use.

B B are two upright posts firmly and perinanently set in the ends of the frame A near the middle thereof and secured together at the top by a horizontal bar G.

C C are two shorter upright posts secured one near each of the posts B B in the same portion of the frame A-that is to say, on the same side of the hinges a a as the said posts B B', and stayed to the said posts I3 B by a short horizontal bar I) at each end of the frame. These bars D D serve as supports for the feet of the two opposite inclined ladders E E, the tops of which are connected by the horizontal ladder F, one side of which is formed by the bar G or may be formed of a separate piece secured to the said bar. n

The several parts above described are all made of light but tough wood.

The horizontal bar G has suspended from it lthe trapeze7 b b Il, the bar ll of which is movable to allow of the substitution of the two hand-rings I I, which are to be suspended one from each cord b b; but which, when not required for use, may be hung up on hooks c c, provided for them in the posts B B', as shown in Fig. l. The post B serves for the peg-pole, having bored in it the holes forthe reception of the two pegs J J, for ascending and descending` hand-over-hand. The post B is intended to be used for performing what are known as horizontale, and forthis purpose they have secured to them two plates L L, which have provided in them at short distances apart mortises d d (shown in Fig. 3) for the reception of the two handles K K, which are movable farther apart or nearer together for the convenience of larger or smaller persons` the said handles being made with hooks e, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 5, to hook into the mortises d d.

The posts B C have secured to them the pulling apparatus, which, instead of being composed of two inelastic cords with suspended weights, is composed of a number of cords .f f, made of india-rubber or other elastic material, the several cords being` furnished at their ends with eyes or loopsto attach them to the hooks g g on the two pulling-handles h 71 the said hooks and eyes or loops permit.- ting them to be separately attached to and detached from the handles in an expeditious manner to adapt the apparatus to the strength of the performer. We propose generally to use five or six or more cords to obtain a suitable degree of variation, but only two are shown in the drawings, as those are sufficient to illustrate the invention. By this system of elastic cords the performer is enabled to adjust the apparatus inueli more conveniently than can be done by the addition and subtraction or changing of the weights when weighted cords are used, as he can do it without leaving his seat, and, besides, the apparatus can be used without the noise accompanying the use of weight-s, which would make them very objectionable in private dwellings. rlhe cordsff each pass round and between two 'separate pairs of'guide-pulleys lz' e', which are arrai'iged, as shown in 'Fig'. 4, in a horizontal box V, secured firmly to the posts B C.

M M are two upright wooden posts mortised, screwed, or otherwise secured in such manner as to be capable of removal in that portion of the frame A on the opposite side of the hinges@ a to that on which the posts B B C C are placed. These posts are for the support of one of the two parallel bars N N which is mortised for the reception of tenons on the tops of the said posts, and which is capable of removal therefrom. The other N of the said bars is mortised to titon upright tenons formed on the ends of two horizontal metal slides P P, which are fitted to slide at right angles to the parallel bars in metal guides which are let into the posts B B', the said slides by such movement bringing` the parallel bar N nearer to or farther from N, as may be required by the performer, and enabling one pair of bars to be used by performers of all sizes, instead of having several sets of bars. Set-screws ZZ are fitted to the posts B B to secure the slides'PP in any position. The parallel bars are parallel with the bar G. In the use of the trapeze the parallel bars require to be removed from their supports, and one of them, it made of proper length, may be placed as an oblique brace between the bar G and that side of the frame A to which the posts M M are fitted, a fixed doWel-pin m, Fig. l, being provided in the bar G to enter a inortise in the said parallel barand the other end of the said bar being notched to iit the upper and inner edge of the side of the frame A.

Vhen the apparatus is not in use and is required to take up the least possible room, or is required to be removed from place to. place, the bolts 7c are withdrawn, the parallel bar N taken from the posts M M, an d the said -posts taken out of the frame A, of which the portion which receives the said posts is folded up against the posts B B and secured thereto by hooks q q and eyes i' r. The last-inentioned portion of the frame has secured to it a pair of casters s, one of which is shown in dotted outline iu Fig. 3, which are so constructed as to be raised from the floor when the frame is unfolded, but to bear on the floor when the frame is folded up, and the opposite side of the frame A is fitted with a pair of casters t, which are so constructed and applied that they can be raised from the floor when the apparatus is desired to be used, but brought down upon the floor when it is required to remove it. lVhen the apparatus is packed up or stored away, the parallel bar N, which has been removed from the posts M, can be laid upon the other one i which may still remain on its slides l l), moved close up to the post-s B B. The posts M M can be y placed inside of the frame, where may also be placed the dumb-bells, clubs, and other appendages of a gymnasiu in which are not fixed.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The substitution for the inelastic cords and weights ot` the pullingr apparatus of a series of elastic cords so combined with the pulling-handles that the several cords can be separately attached to and detached from the said handles at pleasure, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The horizontal handles K K, constructed with hooks e e and fitted to a series of inortises d d in the post B or other equivalent upright support, which permit of their adjustment at different distances apart, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. iW/ilaking,` one of the parallel bars adjustable nearer to or farther from the other at pleasure, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

4. Combining in one apparatus the inclined and horizontal ladders, the trapeze, the pulling apparatus, and the parallel bars by an arrangement of parts substantially as herein speci lied.

HLLIAM HANLON. GEO. ITANLON.

Witnesses:

RICHARDSON GAWLEY, JAMES LAIRD. 

